On the heels of an exciting year in admission (see In the Loop, which details the makeup of the class of 2022), President Lawrence, with help from the rest of the campus community, is creating a new five-year strategic plan to “ensure that the Hollins experience will thrive and evolve through changing times.” Read more in “It Takes a Community.”

This issue contains two stories about graduates who are not only thriving themselves, but helping others thrive, too. Doug Jackson M.F.A. ’06, profiled by Martha Park M.F.A. ’15 (”Building Creative Communities”), remained in Roanoke after earning his Hollins degree and is finding ingenious ways to connect readers and writers.

Jacqueline Whitt ’03 and Megan Hennessey-Croy ’07 are two of the 21 female faculty members at the U.S. Army War College—where, Whitt says, it’s her job “to scramble [students’] brains up, explode their heads a little bit, make them think in really different ways, and really challenge them.” Beth JoJack ’98 tells the story in “Training Senior Officers for Difficult Jobs and Hard Decisions.”

So much to do, so little time. How are alumnae finding balance in their busy lives? Sarah Achenbach ’88 sent out a survey and consulted an expert. Read her fascinating account in “Striking a Balance: What It Really Means to Have It All.”

Elizabeth Jose ’12 seems to be a one-woman example of how use the information gained in one career to inform the next. In “From Mangoes to Blockchain,” Jeff Hodges M.A.L.S. ’11 chronicles Jose’s many post-Hollins adventures, ranging from organic gardening to launching a global technology company.

When students aren’t in class or their residence halls, chances are they’re in Moody, where they’re eating, attending a workshop, listening to a band, doing crafts, or socializing. Take a look at “The Many Moods of Moody.”

Miranda Dennis ’08 has the last word—on donuts. In her paean to the fried and sugared treats (“Of Donuts I Have Loved”), of course she includes the Tinker Day breakfast special: Krispy Kremes.

Jean Holzinger M.A.L.S. ’11
Guest Editor